Check it out…

www.nyhockeyreport.com

Have a great day, and hey – forget about the Isles today….

4 of your top 6 defensemen out of the game with injuries… BUt damn, can this team score.

But the big question to all Islander fans is?

Is John Sim going to be the Waldo in the puzzle book?

He would be a good prize for a playoff team needing an energy like player. Sim just does not fit this team ethic. Not making him a bad guy, just a non-fit in this outfit.

Well – I am seeing a game with a 4 game loser taking on a 3 game loser. However, the 3 game loser has more weapons.

Then again, so did Philly, but the Isles were not out of that game by any margain. They need to do the same thing. Get goals early, and take the crowd out of the game.

Once that happens, sustain. Keep the legs going, establish the forecheck, and keep the main weapons to the outsides of the faceoff circles, instead of the insides. With a younger and inexperienced defense, make sure that the power play takes advantage of the injury bug, and exploit to every chance.

Now – onto other things. I totally agree with Chris Botta on Islanders Point Blank, that Bailey HAS to be at the WJC. I am glad that he is here, but to me – this is the best opportunity for #12 to excel on the big stage. But, Garth wants him to grow and develop here. I am not mad, I just feel for Josh. I know that inside his heart of hearts, I am sure that he wants to be in Ottawa right now, going for the Gold Medal. As I stated on the New York Hockey Report last night (check our show – the link is on the right side of this page), Partice Bergeron had such a great tournament a few years back, and when he returned to Boston, he excelled. Just ask Sid the Kid how he played.

Yea – and about Sid…. In the beginning of this blog a few years ago – I ripped Crosby up and down about his whining and complaining. I can honestly say, that in the past few years, he has grown up a bit, and has matured into a good young man, with the world in front of him. Has he done a 100% upgrade? Not yet, but he has improved. Although, I think he is the SECOND best player on the team… Hmmmm>????

Well – hope for the best tonight – exploit the D and get 2 desperate points. And if he did not get claimed, welcome back Simmer.

Special time – 9:30 PM.

Derek, Joe and I will be talking about the start of the season for all three teams. The Rangers open at home with Chicago, and our Isles head to Newark to take on the Devils. We will look at the plusses and minuses for all three locals, and make our predictions for the season.

We have not all been on together in quite a while, so it should be some interesting banter. Try to make a listen, won’t ya?

To get to the New York Hockey Report Page on BLOGTALK RADIO, go to this link:

NY Hockey Report Show

Also – I will be on Hockey Night on Long Island’s Blog talk show on Saturday afternoon. That show starts at 3:30. I should be on around 3:45 or so. The link to that show is:

HOCKEY NIGHT ON LONG ISLAND

Hope to see you then!

Gary

“Training Camp is about to begin!!!”

The Isles will start on Thursday with their physicals and head to Moncton, NB, for a week of intensive training. Scott Gordon will have his first chance to get his new players to read into his new system, and hopefully it is a transition that the players will not only take seriously, but pick up and master along the way.

Some early questions???

With Sillinger not ready to start the season, how does one of the newest Islanders, 1st round pick Josh Bailey work himself into this group, and find a chance to head to Long Island in October.

Will Kyle Okposo take a giant step forward in his rookie season (eligible for the Calder this year), and be the person that everyone expected him to be when he was drafted a few years back?

Are we FINALLY going to see the NHL caliber play of Jeff Tambellini, or are we just going to see him fade away…? (Truthfully, this is the one question that can make huge dividends for the Isles, if Jeff comes through)

Will Scott Gordon be able to curtail Ricky just a little, so that he has rest and injury free days for all season? The over/under for Joey McDonald (or other backup) starts is 10.

Will Marc Streit be the answer to a struggling power play? Was his year in Montreal good, because of the teammates, or his play?

Basically, will this team be healthy? We can not endure another year of 12 men on the IR.

Now these questions that we were asking in July and August, are now major topics of conversation. The time is here, get the pads on boys. Time to start skating. Time to get your shooting skills in order.

Hockey is back, and I love it!

And the best part – my season tickets came in the mail yesterday, and I am so stoked!

Other notes:
On a personal note – my mom is doing better. She should be heading to a rehab center shortly. Thanks to all for the kind wishes. I will not be on the NY Hockey Report tonight, as I have so much work to do, before my vacation starts on Friday. I will be in Sunny Orlando Florida when camp begins, so I will have my ears to a large coke bottle, and will try and report as much as I can. Add a little flavor, if you will.

It is rotisserie style, based on a great deal of categories. You will have a 25 man roster, basically, 4 lines, 6D, 2 goalies, and a 5 man fill in roster that you can move back and forth.

No charge, but I will see if I can get some ‘prizes’ to use….

If you are interested – please go to the link below. (Click on the Bold text)

Thanks,
Gary

You have been invited to join nyibc1@aol.com’s custom league in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Hockey.

In order to join the league, follow the link above or go to game front page, click the “Sign Up Now” or “Get Another Team” button and follow the links to “Join a Custom League”. When prompted, enter the League ID# and password below.

League ID#: 4278
Password: njdnyinyr

We will send you a confirmation with further details once you have completed the registration process.

You see him on the ‘center of the page’ list of writers on Hockey Buzz…

Now – you can ACTUALLY HEAR HIS DULCET TONES tomorrow night!!!

That’s right, friends of the Orange and Blue, BD Gallof, will be my guest on the New York Hockey report tomorrow night, August 20th, at 9:00 PM (actually, he will be on the show around 9:15 or so). We will talk about the summer doings around Islander land, get his opinions about what has been going on. We will also talk about NHL, and the tooling (or lack of) for some of the teams that Islanders will concentrate on. I am sure that some interesting banter will come out of this.

If you have not read his columns (and frankly, how could you NOT!??), please make sure to check out HockeyBuzz.com, and get yourself acquainted with the man. You will be glad that you did!

Since I get no love lately from my other two ‘ding dong’ co-hosts, I am making the show more Islander than before. I will get others from our side of the fence to make appearances. I hope to get John Buccigross from ESPN before the start of the season, to get a NHL preview show going. Stay tuned for the latest info.

And for those that commented from the yesislanders.com site, I did correct the spelling on submissions. They just don’t get corrected from there. I have a laptop, whose keys really blow! So thanks for the replies, have patience, and I will do better, I promise.

Have a good day, and please make sure you check out the show tomorrow night. If you wish, please call into the show, and join the discussion. The number to reach the New York Hockey Report is (646) 716-7209.

See ya!